MAS Magazzini allo Statuto: the second Roman headquarter of Accademia Costume & Moda

Accademia Costume & Moda (ACM), will open a new office in Rome, inside the historic Magazzini allo Statuto (MAS) in Piazza Vittorio in the Esquilino district, to be even closer to the area and its artisan realities, and will be inaugurated in October 2024, the result of the enhancement and digitization of the Umbertine-style building built at the end of the 19th century.

Founded in 1964, based in Rome and Milan, Accademia Costume & Moda offers Undergraduate, Master and Specialization programs in Fashion, Costume, Communication and Management. Each study path is linked with the Industry through numerous  Industry Projects in collaboration with the most important companies of the Fashion System. At the end of their course, students are supported towards a career as to face the working world with a placement ratio well above 85%.

The vision of the founder – the stylist, costume designer, journalist and academic Rosana Pistolese – was to train and support the cultural heritage of the Italian fashion and costume industries with a unique and innovative approach, creating a constant interaction between these two fields. This DNA has been conserved and constantly regenerated with care by the generations who have managed the Academy, first and foremost by Fiamma Lanzara, President of aeternum, with passion and constant attention to changes in the sector. A coherent balance between research, culture, design, product, and a close collaboration with the most important players in this sector have led the Costume & Fashion Academy to become an international point of reference in training.

The building, completely renovated on the basis of the project and concept design by Studio Kami Architecture & Engineering, is spread over six floors, one basement and five above ground, and has a total internal area of ​​approximately 5,000 square metres.

Fluid space, with fully digitized classrooms and a project inspired by ACM’s DNA to put students’ socialization at the centre: thus the new headquarters will be able to accommodate students in its 1100 m2 of fully computerized classrooms, 1000 m2 of Accessories, Costume , Haute Couture, Photography and Styling, and in the new spaces dedicated to the library and textile library. Continuing, 250m2 of terraces and the rooftop that can be used by the community as recreational, sharing and learning spaces.

Even in design, the goal of the renovation of the building is to enhance the past, trying to remain faithful to the details of its construction, bringing the innovation of our years. The Umbertina part (ground floor and basement) dating back to the end of the 19th century, in fact, will be restored maintaining the original style of the construction period, preferring materials and design from that historical era. To welcome the students and the ACM community a Led-Wall, which will coexist with green walls that will combine the computerization of the structure with a biophilic design with a naturist imprint that will recall the nineteenth-century botanical gardens.

In addition to the historic headquarter in Via della Rondinella and after the opening of the new campus in Milan in 2020, the spaces at the ex-MAS represent the second Roman headquarters of ACM, which will host the three-year courses, Academic Master and new educational proposals.

“We are very excited, and we are for so many different reasons. First because it is MAS, the former Magazzini allo Statuto MAS, and there is an objective responsibility in preserving a place that is an integral part of the cultural, creative, and popular fabric of Rome. Accademia, which in 60 years of life has had the same impact, with this operation wants to continue the story of a territory so relevant for authenticity, which is Esquilino: history, culture, craftsmanship, internationality, economy, beauty, truth, and respect are some of the element’s part of our DNA. The goal is to enhance and share. If I had to summarize what Accademia is in three lines, I would do so by describing it as a set of skills, experiences, knowledge that surrounds young people, helping them to reflect, listen and make their own; a safe space in which to live and grow, liberate and free oneself, trust and rely, try and dare, learn and prepare, get to know each other and above all recognize each other. All in Rome, for Rome and with Rome, from Esquilino to Italy and the world», explains the President A. Lupo Lanzara.

Adds CEO, Furio Francini, «We are grateful for the opportunity to have a unique new headquarters of its kind and with such a strong historicity for the Roman population and beyond. Our presence in Rome, for almost 60 years, expresses the dual objective of being simultaneously a school with a global perspective, which competes in the international market, but also close to the territory and to develop the conditions for intercepting important flows of international students and meeting expectations of the Italian ones. A new space capable of hosting up to 700 students when fully operational and of triggering a virtuous impact on the territory, creating an interaction between the pre-existing communities (residents, merchants, administrations, and companies) and the community of the Institute. The intent of this operation is not only the growth of our reality, but to involve and share our history in an area that has always represented a meeting of cultures and creative expressions».